Unless you live under the proverbial rock, you've joined the digital age. You know how to write and save your newest literary masterpiece to your laptop and thumb drive. You even have a backup copy saved to the cloud.
You also know how to turn all those wonderful words into an ebook and send them off to Amazon and Smashwords. Your ebook can be read by everyone on Kindles, Nooks, and ereaders everywhere.
So, after all this work why am I telling to you to keep a hard (paper) copy of all your writing? It's a little thing called an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) attack (re: a nuclear attack). An EMP would destroy your digital data: kaput. All that work gone. But, with a paper copy no problem.
Interested in learning more?
Go to Why You Should Keep Hard Copies of Your Writings - GalleyCat .
Friday, June 10, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Help The Conscious Cat win the 2011 Pettie Award for Best Cat Blog
Let's help The Conscious Cat win the Pettie Award!
Go to Help The Conscious Cat win the 2011 Pettie Award for Best Cat Blog
to find out how and where to vote.
Panzer would really appreciate help for his friends at The Conscious Cat!
Go to Help The Conscious Cat win the 2011 Pettie Award for Best Cat Blog
to find out how and where to vote.
Panzer would really appreciate help for his friends at The Conscious Cat!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
8 Ways to Develop Better Relationships with Book Bloggers
Driving readers to your ebook at Amazon takes more than just asking your relatives to go buy it (although that's a good move too!). Last month I blogged about Mommy Blogs as a marketing tool for your ebooks.
Getting those blog reviews for your indie pubbed ebook isn't always easy, but it is worth the time and effort. While one review might create a ripple, ten or twenty of the right reviews can create a tidal wave of readers buying your ebook.
This brings up the question of how do you approach a blogger and get a continuing relationship going with him or her? Here's 8 Ways to Develop Better Relationships with Book Bloggers
to help you get started.
Getting those blog reviews for your indie pubbed ebook isn't always easy, but it is worth the time and effort. While one review might create a ripple, ten or twenty of the right reviews can create a tidal wave of readers buying your ebook.
This brings up the question of how do you approach a blogger and get a continuing relationship going with him or her? Here's 8 Ways to Develop Better Relationships with Book Bloggers
to help you get started.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Lilian Jackson Braun, R.I.P.
I learned the sad news earlier today that one of Panzer and my favorite cozy mystery authors died earlier this week. Lilian Jackson Braun, author of The Cat Who mysteries, died on June 4 at the age of 97 years.
The feline mystery books world lost a great writer.
You can read her obituary at Best Seller Lilian Jackson Braun Dies
The feline mystery books world lost a great writer.
You can read her obituary at Best Seller Lilian Jackson Braun Dies
Cats and Vintage Kitchen Cozy Mysteries Vote
Victoria Hamilton, author of the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries, is blogging about animals in mysteries. She's running a poll about whether or not you like animals in your mysteries. Panzer would really appreciate it if you'd go cast your vote.
So, if you want to get your vote counted and make Panzer happy, hurry over to Vintage Kitchen Cozy Mysteries: Animals in Mysteries. Your time is limited to vote and make Panzer happy.
Really, your vote is important. (And Panzer and his friends do know where you live.)
Really, your vote is important. (And Panzer and his friends do know where you live.)
Monday, June 6, 2011
Smashwords Three Year Retrospective
Smashwords has now been in existence for three years. Over those three years indie publishing has grown from a writer's dirty little secret to a worldwide phenomenon and Smashwords has been at the forefront.
Now a writer can upload their writing to Smashwords and sell it from there or, going through the Premium Catalog, use Smashwords as their distributor to Barnes & Nobles' Nook store, Kobo, Diesel, etc. That's quite a history for just three years.
If you're interested in the history of this growing industry, you can read about it at Three Year Retrospective, and a Look Ahead
Can you tell I'm a big fan of Smashwords and what they've done for the writing community?
Now a writer can upload their writing to Smashwords and sell it from there or, going through the Premium Catalog, use Smashwords as their distributor to Barnes & Nobles' Nook store, Kobo, Diesel, etc. That's quite a history for just three years.
If you're interested in the history of this growing industry, you can read about it at Three Year Retrospective, and a Look Ahead
Can you tell I'm a big fan of Smashwords and what they've done for the writing community?
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Amazon Tags: The Good News & The Good News
When I started reading around the blogosphere about Amazon's missing tags, I wasn't too happy about their policy. Since I get review copies that don't show up as being purchased by me, their new policy precluded me from posting a review there. While Vincent Zandri has managed to track down the missing tagging position, I don't think this will allow to post my reviews there any more.
If you were wondering where the tags went when you went back to write a review after you bought a book at Amazon, go to Amazon Tags: The Good News & The Good News and follow the instructions.
If you were wondering where the tags went when you went back to write a review after you bought a book at Amazon, go to Amazon Tags: The Good News & The Good News and follow the instructions.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
E-reads and Diesel Form Alliance
Richard Curtis, the president of the literary agency Richard Curtis Associates has announced the formation of a strategic alliance between his E-Reads publishing arm and the Diesel eBook Store.
Hmmm? Sounds a little funny to me. Apparently I'm not the only one wondering what's going on with this situation. Dean Wesley Smith gives his opinion of the announcement here.
Hmmm? Sounds a little funny to me. Apparently I'm not the only one wondering what's going on with this situation. Dean Wesley Smith gives his opinion of the announcement here.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Let's Talk Distribution For Your Ebook
There are so many different views on how to drive up the sales figures of your ebooks. You have your strategy and I have mine. Ask ten indie authors how they do it and you'll get ten different answers.
Guido Henkel is blogging about ebook distribution at his blog. I have to admit, he has an interesting distribution strategy to drive up his Amazon numbers and thereby his ranking. He advocates only selling through Amazon, Barnes & Nobel and Kobo and not listing with any of the other sellers.
I'm not sure if I agree with him or not. Only time will tell if his strategy will work for him. And ... the operative words here are for him. Read about his strategy at Focussing your distribution and see if you think it might work for you.
Guido Henkel is blogging about ebook distribution at his blog. I have to admit, he has an interesting distribution strategy to drive up his Amazon numbers and thereby his ranking. He advocates only selling through Amazon, Barnes & Nobel and Kobo and not listing with any of the other sellers.
I'm not sure if I agree with him or not. Only time will tell if his strategy will work for him. And ... the operative words here are for him. Read about his strategy at Focussing your distribution and see if you think it might work for you.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Murder At The Gardening Center or My Life Is A Joke
I was having trouble deciding how Kaitlin, my heroine, would find the body buried in the garden. I'd been wrestling with the problem for three days. I'd bounced ideas off various friends and relatives.
My best friend and I were shopping in the tools department at the local gardening center, when she asked, "Is Uncle Melwyn still buried in the flower bed in the backyard?"
When I turned to answer, I noticed a woman and her husband standing behind my friend. "Yes, he's still there," I said, reaching down to pick up a pair of pruning shears, "but Kaitlin hasn't found the body yet."
I heard a clatter and looked up to see the woman behind my friend had knocked over a garbage can full of rakes. The woman grabbed her husband and pulled him away as fast as she could. My best friend mumbled at me, "Some people," as we picked up all the rakes and put them back in the can.
As my friend and I continued through the store, discussing ways Kaitlin might find the body, the woman and her husband appeared in every aisle. When we got to the checkout counter, the husband and wife team, holding one small plant, were in line right behind us.
After we checked out, loaded everything in my car and drove away, I saw the wife standing in the parking lot lane behind us. She had a piece of paper in her hand and was writing furiously. My friend and I both started giggling because we just knew she was writing down my license plate number to give to the police.
© 2011 Fiona L. Woods
My best friend and I were shopping in the tools department at the local gardening center, when she asked, "Is Uncle Melwyn still buried in the flower bed in the backyard?"
When I turned to answer, I noticed a woman and her husband standing behind my friend. "Yes, he's still there," I said, reaching down to pick up a pair of pruning shears, "but Kaitlin hasn't found the body yet."
I heard a clatter and looked up to see the woman behind my friend had knocked over a garbage can full of rakes. The woman grabbed her husband and pulled him away as fast as she could. My best friend mumbled at me, "Some people," as we picked up all the rakes and put them back in the can.
As my friend and I continued through the store, discussing ways Kaitlin might find the body, the woman and her husband appeared in every aisle. When we got to the checkout counter, the husband and wife team, holding one small plant, were in line right behind us.
After we checked out, loaded everything in my car and drove away, I saw the wife standing in the parking lot lane behind us. She had a piece of paper in her hand and was writing furiously. My friend and I both started giggling because we just knew she was writing down my license plate number to give to the police.
© 2011 Fiona L. Woods
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)